I Hold On
by QueenOfFallout
Summary: Ellie Lavelle and her sister Ariel are a couple of lone survivors in the apocalyptic world of the undead. For the past few weeks since the sickness hit, they have only had each other to hold onto. But one can only hold onto something so long. How long will it take before the world takes its toll on them? ShaneXOC (I do not own anything regarding the Walking Dead. Just my OC's.)
1. Chapter 1

**I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this story just yet, but I'm sure it'll be great. That being said, any comments, reviews or just overall opinions would be much appreciated!**

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Ellie's heart raced as she held onto her younger sister Ariel's hand, gripping it hard and tugging her along for dear life. They had to run. They had to run fast. They just had to get away. There was a hoard of about a dozen or so flesh eaters right behind them, all chomping at the air, arms outstretched, feet dragging across the damp cement, hungry for the skin and bones of the two lonely survivors.

The siblings thought they'd be safe shacking up in an old abandoned two story house on some dead end street. Little did they know that just beyond that old barred up house that had a faded coat of peeling blue paint was a hoard of the undead, aimlessly walking through the woods, all searching for their next meal. It just wasn't fair. It seemed like ages since the girls had gotten a break. Those damn zombies seemed to be everywhere!

The last time the Lavelle sisters had been attacked, they had barely gotten away with their lives and all at the cost of their mother and father no less. Ellie wasn't sure how much more of this running, hiding and scavenging game she could take. But she had to run and keep on fighting. She had her sister to think about. Ariel was the only thing she cared about. If the zombies got her it was lights out, the end of the line. The eldest wouldn't last if she lost her only living kin. The world they now lived in now would have no meaning. All hope would be lost if Ellie lost her sweet, innocent little sister so she kept on running. The pavement echoed beneath the quick stomping of the girls worn out tattered shoes. Both of their breathing was labored and sweat poured down their faces and backs, the moist heat in the air only furthering their exhaustion and exertion on their weakened bodies. Neither of them had eaten in days and between the two of them hardly had more then a couple ounces of water.

"Just a bit further! If we can just get beyond that fence, we'll be safe!" Ellie managed to yell out while still gripping Ariel's sweaty hand as the two siblings continued to beat the worn cement beneath them. It seemed as if they were miles away from the large rusted chained fence up ahead which enclosed the small gated community but if they could reach it in time, they'd be able to scale it and hopefully get away before getting bit or worse. The zombies were gaining on them though despite how much faster the two females were. One slip up and they'd be dinner.

The sky above them was getting darker, clouds began to roll in and what was once a clear blue sky suddenly became grey and depressing. It was a sure sign of rain and if it started before they could reach that fence it would only make matters much worse. It would be hard enough on the girls as it was with their bodies being weakened having gone days without food or sufficient amount of water to scale the chain link fence, but if water was added to the equation, then it would also become slippery and that in itself wasn't a very good scenario. A loud boom cracked overhead and just for a second Ellie looked back at her sister with tears in her eyes and sweat beading on her furrowed brow. What if this was it? What if this was there last moments together?

A sudden determination reared itself up inside the eldest. It was a feeling she had never felt before. Anger, fear, worry, none of those emotions mattered and none of them were going to hold her back. They were going to make it. They were going to live and keep on living. Just as another roll of thunder echoed out, that's when Ellie tugged her sisters hand sharply, pulling her forward ahead of herself.

"Ariel, go! Run for the fence!"

"B-but you have to come with me! I'm not leaving you Ellie!"

"I said go dammit! We don't have time for this! I'll catch up I swear!"

"B-but-"

"Dammit Ariel go before they catch up with us and don't you dare look back!"

Ariel started to cry, hot tears of worry and fear streaming down her already flushed cheeks. She didn't want to do this and leave her sister behind but she knew she had to listen. She just had to believe and trust that Ellie knew what she was doing and wasn't going to do something stupid. With that thought in mind, Ariel took off, her feet hitting the pavement in quick hard strokes, never once looking back to see what would become of her sister. While the younger of the two ran off towards the fence, Ellie was gearing up, two semi automatic .22 caliber Winchester pistols in each hand.

Between both guns she barely had sixteen rounds but she was a dead shot so she knew sixteen would be more then enough. Thank God she had learned something from her father other then winning arguments. By the time Ellie had loaded her guns with the ammo she had left, the flesh eaters were less then fifteen feet away. All of them were groaning and still chomping at the air, the sound of their rotting teeth clashing together made Ellie's stomach churn with disgust. The next series of events went by so fast that it would take her a long time to realize what had actually happened. She could barely hear her sister screaming for her to hurry up and run before another loud boom of thunder rang in her ears followed by the precise sound of bullets whizzing through the air, shattering skulls and liquefying brain tissue.

One by one they fell, rotting corpses reaking of decay who were once alive not once but twice hit the pavement like dead weight. One by one they slumped to the ground, falling over one another with wide milky white eyes as if saying they conceited for the last time. Ellie kept shooting, her fingers rapidly pulling on the triggers of both her guns, not even realizing she was out of ammo. All of the flesh eaters laid dead in her wake; all of them nothing but a heaping pile of continually rotting flesh and bone. Blood that was almost black dripped down from their fatal head wounds, eventually leaking onto the grey cement underneath them. That was when it started to rain.

It began to down pour, the drops hitting everything like a shower of bullets. By now Ellie was starting to realize what had happened and started to gradually come to her senses. In a disorientated state she slowly gazed upon the massacre, her fingers suddenly ceasing there movements from pulling back on the triggers. Her eyes were fixated on the smallest zombie of them all, what once had been a little girl no more then twelve was still somehow alive, buried beneath the weight of all her dead companions. The sound of rain pelting everything, the occasional boom of thunder overhead and Ariel's questions and pleas were all muffled background noise. The only thing Ellie could focus on was the constant hoarse moans and breaths coming from the last zombie as she tried her hardest to pull herself out from under the other bodies that had her pinned down.

Both deformed hands clawed desperately at the ground, blood oozing out from where there were no nails as Ellie took a step towards her. The little biter started to click it's teeth together the closer the redhead got to it, craving her warm flesh. Ellie locked eyes with it, brushing her damp hair away from her face as she knelt down in front of it. The woman wasn't sure what she was doing or what she was going to do to it. Knowing that this thing was once a little girl made her curious. By now Ariel was climbing back over the fence, slipping a few times on the metal before she got a good grip and got back over it.

"What are you doing Ellie?! Get away from it! It'll kill you!"

The eldest wasn't hearing a word her sister said, too focused on the little girl who had been a lost cause as soon as she had became one of the undead. The child's face was demented, twisted and cynical, looking as if it was starting to cave in and hollow out in certain places. Her teeth, blackened and chipped, still clashed against each other impatiently as if waiting until Ellie stuck a limb out for her to gnaw on. What once could have been a pair of pretty blue or green eyes were now yellowed with spots of brown with white pupils. Her hair was greasy and it was hard to tell if it was naturally brown because most of it was gone. The little girls skin was what was so off setting about her though. It appeared as if she had a porcelain complexion but at the same time it had an iridescent and sickly look to it, complemented by shades of yellow and blotches of red.

By now Ariel had her hands on Ellie's shoulders, shaking her and yelling at her while sobbing. The older of the two snapped out of staring intently at the hungry demon child and immediately looked up at her sister. The rain had slowed now and had turned into a light drizzle. Both of the women were soaked to the bone and were both exhausted beyond belief. For awhile Ellie just stared up at her only living kin with an unreadable look on her face but then smiled.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I was really worried about you Ellie. You scared me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay. Can we please just go now? We shouldn't linger here much longer. There is bound to be more of those things."

"Yeah. Let's get the hell out of here."

Ellie stood up with her sisters help, putting her pistols back into the small pack she carried on her back. Ariel watched her carefully, shaking slightly from the feeling of the cool rain. After about a minute the two started to head for the chain fence. Ellie stopped while her sister kept walking. Ariel took noticed and also stopped.

"What's wrong?"

Ellie looked back at the little zombie girl who was still attempting to crawl out and free herself from all the dead weight on top of her.

"It's just-"

"You think we'll become those things one day don't you?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not sure about anything anymore Ariel. Ever since dad and mom got eaten by those things I-"

"Ellie we're stronger then that! You and me. We can beat this thing. We have each other. We're smart. Dad taught us how to survive and we will. We can't second guess things or give up. I mean look what you did! You killed all of those flesh eaters without a second thought. You gunned them all down and here we are, still standing. We will live and keep on living. The world has gone to hell but we still have each other to hold onto. That's what you told me right? And I believe in every word. Please don't go back on your word now. You're all I've got."

Ellie took a minute to let her sisters words sink in as she kept on watching the mangled body claw at the ground, still trying it's damnedest to get out from under it's rotting friends. It hissed and spit up a bit of bile and blood then went back to meshing what was left of it's teeth together.

"You're right Ariel. I'm sorry for doubting myself. It's just this whole zombie apocalypse thing is a bit overwhelming. But I'll be damned if I'm going to give up now. If we're what's left of humanity then we have to prove why we're the only ones left. Then again who knows? We might not be the only ones left. Now that's a thought isn't it?"

Ariel gave her sister a grin and nodded, both of them turning back to the fence, going ahead to scale it.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days later, Ellie and Ariel found themselves heading down a long stretch of dirt road with wooden fences on either side of them. On both sides of the fence was nothing but farmland and swampy terrain. The past couple days the two sisters had been taking shelter where ever they could which included some vacant houses and old barns. They managed to find some canned goods in the most recent house they vacated along with a machete which Ellie was quick to give to her currently unarmed companion. The eldest didn't exactly have a weapon other then a black SOG military knife which was her fathers and her two empty Winchester pistols but she knew even with that she could manage.

"So you really think there could be more people out there like us Ellie?"

"I think so. I mean if a couple of rookie survivalists like us have made it this far, then think about all the others there could be. Who knows, maybe there could be a camp of people somewhere nearby."

"You think this camp would have food and water? I'm starving and really thirsty. If we don't find some water soon then I don't think we'll have to worry about the flesh eaters getting us. I think this heat may kill us first."

"Don't worry. We'll find some water soon. There has to be a well or something around here. Just look at all this farmland. There is bound to be some place to draw water from."

"Yeah, that is if it's safe to drink."

The redhead sighed and looked at her sister, wishing she wasn't being so hopeless. As it was though, Ariel was right. Both girls were sweating so much so that their clothes were sticking to them. The Georgia heat was becoming unbearable now that the sun was almost at it's highest point in the sky. It was a fact that if they didn't find a shady spot and some H2O in the next hour or so, they were going to bake and that in itself was a fate worse then being eaten.

"Let's just keep moving then Ariel. No sense in standing around melting to death. Keep your eyes open for a shady tree or a barn or some place we can use to get the hell out of this heat. Then we can work on our no water situation."

The younger of the two simply nodded and both began to head down the dirt path again, four green eyes searching for a place to take shelter. Sweat was still beading on their foreheads and Ellie found she was wiping the sweat off her brow with her forearm almost every two or three minutes. Before she knew it though her eyes went wide when they locked onto something about a half a mile away and the sisters both looked at each other after catching sight of the faded red barn in the distance. It was just sitting in the field all alone, doors open as if to say, come on in, it's mighty cool in here! That's when the sibling began to walk a bit faster, eager to get out of the sweltering heat and into the cool dark inside of that barn.

It took them another ten minutes of so before they reached it. Once close enough to see that the barn was in fact a real piece of architecture and not some mirage, Ellie couldn't help but grin, sweat dripping down her flushed cheeks and all.

"Well, looks like we aren't going to die of heat stroke just yet sis."

"Yeah, but we may die of dehydration Ellie. Or did you forget?"

"Why do you always gotta be so depressing? Did you forget how I took out all those God damn flesh eaters the other day or what?"

"No I didn't. I'm just saying, things are looking pretty grim today."

"Things look grim everyday. That's life. Hell, that was life even before all this zombie apocalypse shit started. Now let's just get in the barn. We can talk about how much our lives suck after I find us some water."

Ariel sighed, shook her head a bit and watched Ellie slowly approach the open doors of the barn. Looking inside there was nothing but empty overturned barrels and piles of hay scattered everywhere. It certainly looked as if there had been anything worth while taking that it was long gone by now. Ellie motioned for her sister to follow her inside as she took a few steps forward, still cautious about things that could be hiding in the hay or hiding behind some of the various barrels that were scattered all around. After scoping out the entire area, the eldest looked at her kin and nodded in approval that this place was indeed safe. Both girls took a seat on their own bale of hay, sitting across from each other.

"What now?"

Ellie peered up at her sister and took the small pack off of her back, unzipped it quickly and slipped her hand inside, feeling around for what cans of food they had left. She pulled out two cans, one of peaches and one of pears, both able to open without the use of a can opener.

"Pick one."

She raised both cans up and Ariel slowly reached out, grabbing the can of pears.

"This isn't water Ellie."

"You're right. It's fruit. But fruit has juice in it and that will suffice for now. Besides, didn't you say you were hungry?"

"I guess."

The brunette flipped the top open with he pull ring and threw the metal lid on the floor, starring at the open can like there was nothing in it.

"What's wrong now?"

Ellie opened her can and threw her lid on the floor next to her sisters.

"Nothing. I just thought we'd of found more people like us by now."

The redhead took a sip of the peach juice. It tingled her taste buds because it was so sweet and made her smile but that faded to a frown after her sisters reply. Ariel continued to just stare into her can of pears.

"We gotta be patient Ariel. We'll find more people like us. Don't worry."

"No we won't. Just face it Ellie. We are the last ones. The rest of them are monsters who want to eat us."

Ellie put her half eaten can of peaches down and looked at her sister, feeling disheartened.

"Do you really think that? Because I don't. I've just got this feeling in my gut. We can't be the last ones. Humanity isn't dead."

"Tell that to the zombies."

The older of the two let out an annoyed sigh, wishing her sister wasn't being so pessimistic. It seemed like each day Ariel was getting worse and it was just getting harder for Ellie to keep it up with the optimism. It was like her sister was losing all hope and even Ellie couldn't blame her. It wasn't like they had much to live for other then to keep each other alive. Only if they could find people like them who still were clinging to what little time they had left to live then maybe, just maybe, Ariel would lighten up and be her old cheerful self again. That was something her sister was dying to see. She just wanted her to smile again.

After the two were finished eating, their cans laying down next to their lids, Ellie placed her pack on the floor next to the bale of hay Ariel was sitting on and got up. After looking around a bit and grabbing one of the small galvanized buckets that were once used for milking cows, she adjusted her knife that was hanging on her pants by it's sheath and looked at the dark haired girl with a smile.

"I'm going to go find us some water. You stay here, keep quiet and keep that machete close."

"But there isn't any water around here. You'll die of heat stroke if you go back out there."

"I'll be fine. Now like I said, you just sit tight 'till I come back."

"But what if you don't come back?"

"Don't worry, I will."

"Ellie..."

"Fine, tell you what? If I'm not back before sundown, you come find me. Until then, you wait here."

"Fine... I love you Ellie. Please stay safe."

"I love you too sis. Now stay here."

Ellie walked away, a small smile still playing on her lips and looked back only briefly to see her sister kicking at the cans on the floor. She gently closed the barn doors from the outside, lingering a bit to make sure Ariel didn't leave and to make sure the doors were secure. With that, Ellie walked back out into the hot Georgia heat, hoping she'd be able to find a well to draw water from. The woman smiled a bit and after making sure the doors were secure, she headed off, heading towards some of the other old farmhouse in the distance. It seemed as soon as she walked out, she started to sweat again and she couldn't help but curse at the feeling.

Her breathing became heavy after only ten minutes of walking. sweat battered her eyes an Ellie had all she could do to focus on walking. Crows cawed out in the distance and the low buzzing of bugs in the trees way out in the woods could be heard from miles away. The exhausted redhead looked up at the sun, noting how low it was getting. But even now it still felt like a thousand degrees out. Her legs burned and her chest heaved. She licked at her lips, trying her hardest to get that dry feeling out of them. It wasn't until she almost tripped on a stone in her path that she thought about turning back. That was when she saw it.

It was faint so the redhead was surprised she even saw it from where she was standing. Set upon a block of round cement on top of a small raise in the ground was a pump. An old iron pump with a lever. Ellie swore to God she was seeing things but if that barn had been real, so should this well. Her heart raced and a grin spread across her dry lips causing them to crack and sting but it was so worth it if that well hadn't run dry. She all but ran to the pump, arms waving, one clenched into a fist and the other grasping the bucket.

As soon as she reached the heavenly godsend, she placed the bucket under the pump and grabbed onto the level, unaware of her surroundings, only focusing on her task at hand. She cranked the pump again and again, muscles burning like her arms were going to fall off but she didn't care. All she could think about was the water that was buried down beneath her or possibly could be. After what seemed like hours, the pump made a low hissing sound and a gush of cool clean water rocketed out from the spout, spilling into the bucket and Ellie started to laugh hoarsely. She kneeled down and cupped her hands under the spout, letting the water flow into them and brought them to her mouth, drinking heavily like her life depended on it and it did.

Before long the bucket began to overflow and the water ceased coming out. With a toothy and proud grin, the woman slowly got up and went to grab a hold of the bucket, eager to get back to her dehydrated sister. before her fingertips could even reach the metal though, the sound of a gun being cocked back echoed in her ear, making her stand still out of complete fear.

"Where the hell you think you're goin' girl?"

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**So a question... Who put the gun to Ellie's head?**


	3. Chapter 3

Ariel watched as her sister closed the doors to the barn, the only light inside filtering in from the windows above. She stopped kicking at the empty fruit cans on the floor by now and took a seat back on her bale of hay, sighing as she looked around. The barn was darker now, taking on a more eerie look. Her left hand hesitantly went to the slightly dulled machete at her side and she ran her index finger over the hilt then trailed it up to the back end of the blade. The cool steel felt almost relaxing against her heated flesh.

The young brunette wasn't sure how long she sat there like that, turning the machete over and over again, examining it as if looking to find something that would tell her how she could survive this thing. It seemed like just yesterday she and her mother and father were heading to Georgia to visit Ellie for a weekend at college. The car ride had been long and seemingly endless. The roads had been pretty clear that day. The sky had been cloudless and blue. The heat was uncomfortable but had been bearable since the air conditioner in the car had been blasting.

Ariel could remember her father sitting in the passengers side tapping at the window while her mother drove, both of them singing some old country song that was way before her time. She could clearly remember them taking a turn on the next exit, her feet tapping at the floor impatiently, trying to tune out her parents off tune karaoke. All she had wanted in that moment was to be home alone. Sure she loved her sister dearly but the constant nagging and prodding of her mother and father to get into a good college just like Ellie had been in irked her. At that time she hadn't even wanted to go to college. Hell, she wasn't even sure what she wanted to do with her life then. But now looking back she wished she had at least tried to make her parents proud before the end hit. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so worthless like she did now.

A sudden groaning just outside the barn doors had brought Ariel back to reality. Her eyes went a bit wide and she gripped her weapon tight. She had been so sure the barn she was in was safe. Perhaps whatever was outside had followed her and Ellie all the way there but she didn't know for sure. Looking around she didn't see much of a way out. She hoped by staying quiet the thing would just go away or if she was lucky there was only one outside and if it did manage to make its way in she could take it out. Now Ariel wasn't a fighter like her sister but she'd fight if she had to.

Quietly the nineteen year old stood up, noting how whatever was outside dragged its way past the closed doors of the barn. She could hear its low moan and the shuffle of its feet along the dirt outside. Carefully Ariel stepped around the bale of hay she had been sitting on, hoping to get as far away from the barn doors as possible before the zombie caught her scent or heard her. That's when she let out a low yelp, her right food stepping on one of the empty fruit cans, her ankle twisting just right that she swore she heard it snap. Her body hit the wooden floor of the barn in a heartbeat after losing her balance and the machete she had once been holding slid across the floor just out of her reach.

No sooner did the young Lavelle girl fall did a mess of groans and clawing at the old barn doors occur. _So much for it just being one of those ugly bastards_, she thought. Covering her mouth she hoped to keep from whining in pain as her ankle throbbed and she stretched out as far as she could to reach her weapon. The doors to the barn rattled and creaked, hungry growls and hissing threatening her from the other side. Slowly and painfully Ariel got up, just in time for the doors to burst open, a good five or six flesh eaters stumbling in afterwards. Grabbing the machete and getting to her feet, the brunette whimpered, struggling to get to the back of the barn where she had seen a latter that lead up to the hay loft.

Ariel knew for a fact she couldn't take them all on, especially in the condition she was in now. Step by step and inch by inch she walked, praying for some kind of miracle. The walkers continued after her, arms outstretched and teeth chomping at the air, all of them begging for the flesh of that heat stricken and water deprived woman. They were getting dangerously close to her as she fought to keep walking and stay upright. Sweat poured down her flushed face, her heart beating so loud it echoed in her head, her ankle throbbed and pain shot up her leg making her want to cry and the adrenaline was the only thing forcing her on. Just as one of the rotting hands with black finger nails and missing skin grabbed a hold of the shirt on her back she let out a petrified scream, immediately swinging her machete back, nailing the carnivorous thing right in the forehead, its skull splitting and brain tissue flying backward and forward.

The blade was logged in its skull and without a second thought, Ariel just left it there, moving quick and heading up the latter to the loft for safety seeing as the thing was dead. Its companions attempted to follow after her, some tripping over the one that laid dead on the floor, the machete still stuck in what was left of its brain cavity. Once up in the loft Ariel whined and whimpered, looking down for a brief moment only to see that the damned things were still trying to get at her but none of them smart enough to know how to climb a latter. She was panicking and out of breath and she held her ankle tightly in hopes in keeping it straight would stop the pain. Her mind went to thinking about Ellie, praying she hadn't run into the same fate that she was facing now. But if her sister came back to the barn then Ellie would be in just as much trouble as Ariel was in now wouldn't she? One hand gripping her ankle and one hand gripping her head, the brunette tried to calm down and tune out the groans. Hot tears rolled down her face and she got to thinking at this point she'd of much rather had her parents awful singing. In fact she actually missed it.


	4. Chapter 4

Ellie's vibrant green eyes slowly raised to meet the dark brown eyes of the man who had a shotgun aimed at her head. She kept her gaze on him, taking in his tall and well built form. He wore khaki cargo jeans, black boots and a navy blue hat with the word 'Police' on it. The dark blue buttoned up shirt he was wearing was tucked into his pants neatly revealing a black belt with a knife sheathed on the side, much like the one she owned. His handsome and rugged face showed a seriousness but worn fatigue to it. He never once took his sights off of her, even when she started to slowly reach back for the bucket of precious water. That was when his deep hick accent broke the silence again, making her frown a bit.

"I asked you a question girl, where the hell you think you're goin'?"

This time the redhead felt the barrel of the mans gun touch the side of her temple and she let out an annoyed sigh as she let go of the bucket. Turning to him slowly her eyes became fierce as if they were glowing with a dangerous green flame. Although she felt somewhat relived to actually see that there was in fact another living breathing human being around, she had no time to waste in whatever game he was playing. She had to get back to Ariel with that water before sundown came and that was her top priority.

"If you'd lower your gun you'd find out that I don't mean you any harm. I have to take this water back."

"Back to where? You got a camp or somethin' 'round here? That ain't your water to take."

Ellie watched the man as he kept his gun on her, never once moving it from where it rested on her right temple. She suddenly became quite irritated, wanting to just grab the water and go. So long as he was threatening her with that gun of his though, she was stuck.

"I ain't tellin' you where I'm goin' or who I'm with. And for your information _Officer_, if you haven't noticed, society has gone to hell so as far as I'm concerned, this here water is finders keepers. I found it. I keep it."

"You best watch your mouth girly, I'm the one with the gun remember? And you don't think I don't know that the worlds gone to shit? Supplies are runnin' lower than low making people desperate. Not to mention those damn man eating corpses are everywhere. So you can understand why I can't just trust you and let you up and walk away with that water. Not unless you tell me how you ended up here and who you're with."

"I'm not tellin' you a damn thing. You'll have to shoot me first."

The southern woman stood her ground, her eyes continually blazing with the fierce desire to survive. By the way the man was standing she could tell he wasn't going to shoot her but the look on his face said otherwise. Ellie winced a bit as the barrel of the gun was pushed into the side of her head more, making her arch her head the opposite way.

"Shane! What the hell is goin' on?"

Just then the gun was quickly pulled away from Ellie's head, making her relax a bit as she looked up to see what was going on. Another man came running towards the man now known as 'Shane'. This man was dressed in dark brown pants, a sheriff's shirt, leather boots and he had a silver gun holstered at his side. Quickly without thinking, the woman got up on her feet, grabbing the bucket of water while 'Shane' had turned around to greet his companion. Before Ellie could take any further steps though she heard the familiar sound of a gun being cocked back and she froze.

"Ain't no one told you to go nowhere. Now you put that bucket of water down before I really do shoot you."

The auburn haired female scowled and turned to the brown eyed man and almost threw the bucket down but instead placed it on the ground and stood there, both hands at her side clenched into tight fists. His gun was once again pointed on her and as much as she wanted to just get the hell out of there and take off, she didn't dare.

"Shane, what's goin' on? Who's this woman?"

"I don't know Rick. Found her takin' water from that well there. She won't say where she came from or if there are more with her."

Ellie's eyes narrowed a bit as she watched the two men talk. Rick and Shane looked at her every few seconds, his shotgun still pointed at her. They were going back and forth as if they were contemplating on what to do with her. She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she just stayed silent and listened.

"She doesn't appear to be dangerous. I mean look at her. She's all skin and bones."

"Yeah well you should listen to the mouth on her. Besides Rick, we ain't got no more food and water for another person! We barely have enough for our own group!"

"Well we can't leave her here and we sure as hell aren't going to shoot her."

"And we can't let her go neither. What if she does have a group out there and we let her go and she tells them 'bout this place and they come back and try and take this farm? What if they got guns and ammo and she was just sent out here as a pawn? We can't take that risk Rick. Think about Lori and Carl. This is the safest place we've been to yet and I ain't about to let no mouthy redhead ruin it for us!"

That was when Ellie's eyes went wide as Shane turned to her, he walked forward and in a few steps he had his gun aimed right at her head once again, this time in the center of her forehead.

"Now you listen real good sweetheart, if you don't tell us how you got here or where the rest of your group is, I swear this time I'll splatter your brains so good you won't dare come back as one of them things. You hear me?"

"Go to hell. I ain't tellin' you nothin'."

"Okay, you asked for it."

Shane put his finger on the trigger and Ellie closed her eyes, too stubborn to give her sister up. She didn't trust these men even if they had food and supplies and there were others. If it meant putting Ariel in more danger than just being out in the open with all of those flesh eating zombies, so be it.

"Shane don't!"

Rick ran over and grabbed his friends arm and pulled him back just before he had the chance to pull the trigger. Shane lowered his gun, his face still serious but with anger to it.

"You have got to be kiddin' me Rick! It's obvious she's hidin' somethin'! Just let me shoot her and be done with it!"

"That's not how we do things! We don't kill people Shane! We don't kill living people!"

The eldest Lavelle watched as Shane pushed his friend away and she frowned a bit. Rick's words seemed sincere. It didn't look like he killed people but Shane? He was another story. If Ellie was seeing things right it was his dark brown eyes that gave it away. It seemed to her that he had in fact killed someone, and not just one of the few thousand zombies roaming around in the heat either. Wiping her brow, Ellie shook away her doubt that she couldn't trust these men. She had promised Ariel she'd find more people and these two were as good as any (not that there was a choice in the matter) and from what she heard before, they even had more people, a group. Even if Shane was a bit hot headed and trigger happy, so long as Rick was the voice of reason in the situation, Ellie could deal with that. The 'Sheriff' seemed to definitely have a strong head on his shoulders. Hell if Rick hadn't shown up when he did she knew she'd of been dead. So with a long sigh, the redhead let go of her mistrust and her stubbornness and unclenched her fists.

"Excuse me, Rick?"

Rick looked away from Shane who seemed a bit more calm then he was moments ago and gave the foreign woman his attention.

"Yes miss...?"

"My name is Ellie. Ellie Lavelle. My sister Ariel and I have been traveling for almost two weeks on our own. We're very tired, thirsty, hungry and in much need of shelter. I swear it's just us. I know you said you had a group and I understand not having enough food and supplies to go around but if you could take us in for just tonight, we'd be eternally grateful."

Ellie noticed how Shane scowled and whether it was because she opened up to Rick and not him or because he still didn't trust her, she didn't know. All she knew was the next words out of Rick's mouth made her happier then ever.

"Nice to meet you Ellie. I'm sorry Shane here went off on you. The world's really gotten to him. It's gotten to us all. Now you said you have a sister who's traveling with you? Where is she? Shane and I can go with you to go get her if that's alright? Maybe help you carry your things?"

"She's in an old barn not far from here. It's just up the road. Thank you for the offer but I can go by myself. I'll be right back."

"Well if you're sure. Shane and I will be waiting right here for you and your sister to come back."

"You can't be serious man. She's obviously playin' us! She'll bring back an army or some shit and kill us both. I ain't lettin' that happen."

"Shane!"

With that Shane ignored Rick and suddenly approached Ellie and with the hand that wasn't holding his shotgun, he grabbed her arm.

"Come on girly, I'm goin' with ya. I'm wise to your tricks and I ain't allowin' you to just sneak away and bring back your people to kill us and steal our stuff."

Her green eyes went wide as he tugged her arm and she scowled, pulling away from him.

"I'm tellin' the truth! My sister is dying of heat exhaustion all alone in some dust infested barn and I told her I'd be back by sunset with some water!"

"Well then, I'll carry the water and you lead the way."

Shane suddenly picked up the bucket of water and nudged her forward, looking back at Rick.

"I'll be back 'fore sundown. You'll see you can't trust nobody. Not walkers or people."

"..."

Rick sighed and shook his head, hoping he was right about the stranger and her story about her sister. If not, he sure was going to get an earful from Shane when he got back. Before Ellie could say another word, Shane nudged her again but this time with the end of his shotgun in her lower back.

"Come on now, we ain't got all day. We got at least an hour 'fore the sun goes down. Now hurry up if you wanna 'save your sister'."

It was obvious the man wasn't going to let up or give in so with a long aggravated sigh, the redhead walked forward, heading to the barn where she left Ariel. Unknowingly though, bringing Shane along was the best decision she could ever make.


End file.
